Functional exploration of grinding and polishing stones from the Neolithic settlement site of Oldenburg LA77, Northern Germany − evidence from plant microfossil analysis

Abstract

Analyses of plant microfossils retrieved from grinding and polishing stones are shown to constitute a reliable line of evidence to unveil the functions of these stone implements at the site of Oldenburg LA 77. Dating to the Middle Neolithic (3270–2920 BCE), this settlement is one of the earliest villages that are representative of the social shift in northern Germany, from living in isolated farmsteads in the Early Neolithic towards population agglomeration in villages in the Middle Neolithic. Our results paint a complex picture of the use of grinding and polishing stones in daily plant preparation: they were predominantly used to crush and/or grind cereals, but also regularly used to grind wild grass caryopses, tubers, rhizomes, and, to a lesser extent, wild legumes. We see no significant functional differences among the sampled grinding stone tools linked with different stone morphotypes, stone raw materials, as well as stone sizes. Our results also indicate that daily food processing-related grinding stones may have been deliberately chosen, invested with social meaning, eventually became part of ritual activities in the settlement, and thus, may have additional functions beyond economic practices.